Small's Career Night Leads Tiger Women To Inspiring Comeback

UPDATE (2/23/13): Enri Small was named to the NCAC All-Tournament Team following the event's conclusion on Saturday, Feb. 23.

GRANVILLE, Ohio – Head coach Sarah Jurewicz's halftime speech must have been one fine performance, because her Wittenberg women's basketball team roared to life in the second half of an inspiring 69-65 win over host Denison in the opening round of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament.

The win required the Tigers to overcome a 16-point halftime deficit that came as a result of shooting just 25 percent from the floor and committing 15 turnovers in the opening period.

The second half could not have been more different, as the Tigers shot 57.1 percent from the field including 4-of-8 from three-point range, outrebounded the Big Red 24-13 and committed just six turnovers. The comeback moved Wittenberg to 13-13 overall and earned the Tigers the right to face top-ranked DePauw on the road at 8 p.m. on Friday in the semifinals.

Sophomore guard Enri Small (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls) scored 22 of her career-best 31 points in the second period, ultimately tying for fifth place in the Tigers' single-game record for scoring with Linda Fawcett (Feb. 22, 1992) and Stephanie Boardman (Jan. 24, 2009).

The supercharged output from Small came on a shooting mark of 11-20, including 7-of-7 at the free throw line, and accompanied totals of 10 rebounds, two steals and a block for the second double-double of her season and career, even as she came off the bench in the game.

Entering the second half down 16 points, the Tigers opened the period with a 14-2 run to bring the margin down to four points, culminating in back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore Katelyn Haralamos (Maineville, Ohio/Kings).

Wittenberg continued chipping away at Denison, eventually tying the game 38-38 with 12:22 remaining following the second of two straight made jumpers from sophomore Karen Daniel-Hamberg (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview).

Over the next six minutes, the teams knotted up at every even interval until 50-50, when Daniel-Hamberg sank two free throws and a jump shot for a four-point lead with 4:32 remaining.

That is just about when Small took the game over, providing the Tigers with 11 of their final 13 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line over the final 1:21. Small and her teammates had a parry for every Denison thrust, although the Big Red helped by failing to cash in on a chance to tie the game on two free throws with just nine seconds left.

Daniel-Hamberg scored all 10 of her points and collected six of her seven rebounds in the second half, while senior Kim Replogle (Houston, Ohio/Houston) went 4-for-7 from the field for eight points in the back half and hauled in four of her six rebounds in the same stretch.

Haralamos finished second with 12 points in the game, and junior Amber Rice (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) contributed six points and six rebounds on top of three steals and two assists.

The Tigers and Big Red split their regular season meetings, each winning on their home floor. A 59-45 win for Wittenberg in Springfield on Feb. 6 followed a 60-48 decision in favor of Denison in Granville on Jan. 16. The Tigers' victory tonight ends a streak of 10 straight NCAC quarterfinal wins for Denison.